Dr S. Ramanathan

He is another musician I have not had an opportunity to listen in person and added to that is the fact that I was quite unaware of him and his music for what i can say were my early listening time. Obviously, it was my shortcoming and perhaps lack of initiative in looking for high quality musicians in those days.

It was indeed a rude surprise that I got to know of him and his music from my aunt Late Savitri Satyamurthy (violin) who used to accompany him in a lot of concerts. She not only got me hooked into his music but also helped me in getting hold of a copy of his Music Academy concert of 1985 !! One of the recordings below has my aunt accompanying in a radio concert 🙂

All I can say is that I enjoy his music tremendously and his unique approach in employing gamakams from minimal to the so called normal levels brings out a beauty that are beyond my ability to explain. One composition that left an indelible mark is ‘vEl edutta kaiyyE ‘ in toDi – not a very often heard composition.

Below are the recordings in no particular order – hope you enjoy as I did.

I will add details on the concert details over a period of time – till then you will see this sentence 😉


with T N Krishnan and U K Sivaraman – 1984

  • varnam – kAmbhoji – aTa
  • sudhA mAdhurya – sindhu rAmakriya
  • vinata sutavAhana – husEni
  • elA nee daya – aTANA
  • rAmachandram – vasantA
  • Anadamaya – jyotiswaroopiNi
  • lali guNasAlini – kedAragowla
  • chaluni – yadukula kAmbhoji
  • ODi bArayya – bhairavi


with unknown accompaniments

  • varnam – kalyAni – adi
  • dinamani vamsa – hari kAmbhoji
  • teliyalEru rAma – dhEnukA
  • mAyamma – Ahiri
  • yArukkuttAn teriyum – dEvamanOhari
  • bAlagopAla – bhairavi
  • entamuddO – bundhumAlini
  • melukOvayya – bowLi
  • pankajakshamAm – tODi


An Assorted set

No accompaniments

  • sri viswanAtham bhajeham – chaturdasa rAgamAlikA

with accompaniments

  • sri gurunA pAlitosmi – pADi
  • violin alapana
  • evvarE rAmayya – gAngeyabhooshaNi
  • vEl edutta kaiyyE – tODi
  • mariyAda kAdayyA – bhairavam

some other concert

  • tulasi dalamulacE – mAyAmALavagowla
  • bAlE bAlEndu – reetigowla
  • dEvi brova – chintAmani


with unknown accompaniments (seems to be M Chandrasekaran)

weird fadeouts between pieces and between tranisitions

  • varnam – kalyANi – aTa
  • sri ganapati ni – saurAshtram
  • mAkelara vichAramu – ravichandrika
  • kanugonu sowkyamu – nAyaki
  • durusuga – sAvEri
  • yArukkuttAan teriyum – dEvamanOhari
  • dorakuna – bilahari
  • rAgam tAnam pallavi – chakravAgam


with T Rukmini and U K Sivaraman – Nadha Bramha Sabha Mysore 16 Dec 1979

  • varNam – darbAr
  • palukavEmi nA daivamA – poorNachandrikA
  • balamu kulamu yEla rAma – sAvEri
  • kaddalE vADu – nArAyaNagowla
  • dEvi brOva samayamidE – chintAmaNi
  • dinamaNi vamsa – harikAmbhOji
  • srikAnta neeyaDa – bhavapriyA
  • RTP – kAmbhOji
  • various


with T Rukmini, Vellore Ramabhadran and H P Ramachar – Madras Music Circle 1979

  • varNam – vasantA
  • karuNai seyvAi – hamsadwani
  • mAnasa guruguha – Anandabhairavi
  • rAkA sasivadana – kalgaDA
  • jootA murArE – Arabhi
  • ayyanE – sAvEri
  • aravinda lochananE – neetimati – ambujam krishna
  • anupama guNAmbudi – aTANA
  • RTP – kAmbhOji
  • various


with T N Krishnan, Vellore Ramabhadran and Manjunath – Chamber Music ??? Bangalore

  • varNam – darbAr
  • mAyAteeta swaroopiNi – mAyAmALavagowLa
  • bAlE bAlendu – reetigowLa
  • nannubrOvu lalitA – lalitA
  • kAlai tookki ninru Adum deivamE – yadukulakAmbhOji
  • bhajarE rE citta – kalyANi
  • dEvi pAvanE – sAvEri
  • sri saraswati namOstutE – Arabhi
  • various

with unknown accompaniments – sub-par recording

  • vEl edutta kaiyyE – tODi
  • various

with Radha Narayanan and Tanjavur Upendran Music Club Oct 10, 1980

  • varNam – sArangA
  • varAlandu kommani – gurjari
  • bhajana sEya rAdA – aTANA
  • antaranga bhakti – shadvidamArgiNi
  • brOcEvArevarE – sriranjani
  • sadAchalEswaram – bhoopALam
  • ksheerasAgara – dEvagAndhAri
  • various


with Savitri Satyamurthy and Srivastava – AIR

  • sivakAma sundari – jaganmOhini
  • ettanai taram sonnAlum – bEgaDA
  • aravinda lochananE – neetimati – ambujam krishna
  • muttukumArayyanE – sankarAbaraNam
  • kAvaDi chindu


with T S Veeraragavan, Karaikudi Mani and Srirangam S Kannan – AIR Sangeet Sammelan (Calcultta)

  • nee bhajana gAna – nAyaki
  • karuNa jUDavayya – sArangA
  • sri kamalAmbikAyAm – sahAnA
  • sArasa samamukha – kamAs


with G J R Krishnan and Tanjavur Ramdass – AIR

  • swAmiki sariyevvarana – dEvagAndhAri
  • kamalAmbAm samrakshatumAm – Anandabhairavi
  • evvarE rAmayyA – gAngEyabhooshaNi
  • sri kumAra – aTANA


with M S Govindaswamy and Palakkad Raghu – Seshadripuram 1980

  • varNam – sArangA
  • anupama guNAmbudi – aTANA
  • telitalery rAmA – dhEnukA
  • kanukonu sowkyamu – nAyaki
  • rAmachandram bhAvayAmi – vasantA
  • viDamu sEyavE – karaharapriyA
  • various


with Lalgudi Jayaraman and Vellore Ramabhadran – 2 May 1986

  • varNam – sArangA
  • jagadAnandakAraka – nATA
  • rAra sIta ramaNI manOhara – hinDoLa vasantam
  • ElA nee dayarAdu – aTANA
  • chinna nADE nA – kalAnidhi
  • ksheera sAgara – dEvagAndhAri
  • banTureeti – hamsanAdam
  • sArasa samamukha – kamAs
  • ODi bArayyA – bhairavi
  • mangalam


with V V Subrmanian and Guruvayur Dorai (sub-par recording – voice is not clear)


with Alandur Natarajan and Mannargudi Easwaran – AIR Syama Sastry Compositions (Oct 15, 2004)

  • neelAyadAkshi – paras
  • sarOja daLa nEtri – sankarAbaraNam
  • himAchala tanaya – Anandabhairavi
  • taruNam edammA – gowLipantu
  • nannu brOvu – lalitA
  • dEvi brOva – chintamaNi
  • durusugA – sAvEri
  • kanakasaila vihAriNi – punnAgavarALi


with Alandur Natarajan and Mannargudi Easwaran – AIR

  • durusugA – sAvEri
  • kanakasaila vihAriNi – punnAgavarALi


with V Tyagarajan and Madras Kannan – AIR


with Chalakudy Narayanaswamy and Kuttalam Viswanata Iyer – Music Academy

  • sri natAdi guruguhO – mAyAmALavagowLa
  • tanavAri tanamu – bEgaDA
  • ninnu sEvincina – yadukulakAmbhOji
  • RTP – kAnaDA
  • idu tAnO tillai stalam – behAg
  • various
  • from some other concert
    • tAmadamE swAmi – tODi


with unknown accompaniments – 1983

  • varNam – reetigowLa – aTa
  • sudhA mAdhurya – sindhu rAmakriya
  • nArada gAnalOlA – aTANA
  • kaLalanErcinA – deepakam
  • vina rAdA nA manavi – dEvagAndhAri
  • sri satyanArAyaNam – subhapantuvarALi
  • sri guruguha tArayAsumAm – dEvakriyA
  • bAlagOpAla – bhairavi (incomplete)
  • various


with unknown accompaniments – Navaratri Mandapam Concert

  • varNam – sankarAbaraNam – aTa
  • paripAlayamAm – reetigowLa
  • sArasAksha paripAlaya – pantuvarALi
  • vandE sadA padmanAbham – navarasa kannaDA
  • rAma rAma pAhi – dEvagAndhAri
  • sEvE srikAntam – mOhanakalyANi
  • dEvi pAvanE – sAvEri
  • slOkam – rAgamAlika
  • kanakE  – senjuruTi


with M S Gopalakrishnan and T K Murthy – Deekshitar Day Concert

Superb ‘sri satyanarAyaNam’

  • sri gaNanAtam bhajarE – bangaLA
  • tyAgarAja pAlayAsumAm – gowLa
  • sri mAtrubootam – kannaDA
  • veeNA bEri – AbhEri
  • namastE paradEvatE – dEvaranji
  • mAnasa guruguha – Anandhabhairavi
  • sri guruguha tArayAsumAm – dEvakriyA
  • nAgalingam – sankarAbaraNam
  • sri satyanArAyaNam – subhapantuvarALi
  • mAmava pattAbhi rAma – maNirangu


with M S Gopalakrishnan and U K Sivaraman – Music Academy 1985

  • varNam – kAnaDA – aTa
  • neelAyadAkshi – paras
  • vara nArada – vijayasri
  • yArukkutAn teriyum – dEvamanOhari
  • kamalAmbA samrakshatumAm – Anandabhairavi
  • ennai ???? – tODi
  • O rangasAyee – kAmbhOji (tani)
  • kAvaDi chindu


with Chalakudy Narayanaswamy, Palakkad Rajamani and G Harishankar – Ernakulam 1982

  • varNam – darbAr
  • varAlandu kommani – gurjari
  • bhajana sEya rAdA – aTANA
  • bAlE bAlEndu – reetigowLa
  • sri gurunA pAlitosmi – pADi
  • dorakuna – bilahari
  • vEl edutta kaiyyE – tODi
  • various


with Lalgudi Jayaraman and Tiruchi Sankaran

  • varNam – kAmbhOji – aTa
  • rAra seetA – hindoLavsantA
  • nAmorAlakimpavEmO – dEvagAndhAri
  • kanukonu sowkyamu – nAyaki
  • mariyAda kAdayyA – sooryakAntam
  • sani tODi – harikAmbhOji
  • Anandamaya manavE – jyOtiswaroopiNi
  • various


Lecture Demonstration

with V. K. Venkatarajamanujam and Nagore Ambi Iyer – Music Academy – 20 December 1983

  • varNam – reetigowla – aTA
  • karuNa joodavayya – sAranga – Thyagaraja
  • EkAmresa nAyikE – karnATaka suddhasAvEri
  • sAkEta nikEtana – kannaDA
  • nee pAdamula nammiti – naTabhairavi – Muthiah Bhagavatar
  • RTP – kAmboji
  • viruttam – rAgamalika
  • bAgayya nee – sAvEri – kshEtragnar
  • vadasi yadi kinchitapi – mukhAri – Jayadeva